The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for training or instructing in the use of a weapon, firearm or other optically aimed device.
Instruction in the proper use of firearms is an important part of the training of military and law enforcement personnel. It is also of interest to sportsmen, particularly instruction which promotes safer use of firearms in recreational settings.
In conventional firearm training, the student is instructed as to the proper stance, aiming and firing of the firearm. This may involve firing in various positions or while moving with respect to the target. Accuracy can be determined by examining the location of bullet holes in the target. Some students, however, have difficulty developing the skills necessary to properly position the firearm through aiming, the squeezing of the trigger and the follow-through. These difficulties greatly increase instructional costs and may prevent otherwise well-qualified candidates from entering some military or law enforcement services.
The present invention is based, in part, on the discovery that effective training of a shooter can be achieved by reproducing for an instructor and student essentially exactly what the shooter sees from the moment the shooter begins to align the firearm sights, through the instant of firing and the follow-through. With the aid of the disclosed techniques, the shooter can be trained to reproduce certain geometrics in aiming and firing the firearm. Both student and instructor have the benefit of the same image or line of sight and may share the same live view. Particular images obtained during aiming and firing may be replayed or correlated with success or failure in hitting the target. In this way a shooter""s weakness and bad habits may be analyzed and corrected.
The invention is also based on the recognition that a video camera may be used in conjunction with certain red dot sights to provide instructional information through aiming, the instant of firing and the follow-through.
Further, the invention is based on the discovery that effective training of a shooter may be achieved using a remotely controlled trigger actuator, preferably in conjunction with a video camera system for producing a video signal approximating the shooter""s view in sighting the firearm.
The present invention includes a process for training a shooter in the aiming of firearms. In the process, a firearm is provided with a remotely controlled trigger actuator. A video camera is positioned approximately parallel to a direct line of sight of the shooter. A firearm including the one provided with the trigger actuator is fired multiple times. In at least one firing the firearm is both sighted and manually fired by the shooter and, in at least another instance, the firearm is sighted by the shooter, but fired by remote control of the trigger actuator. Video signals are displayed of the shooter""s view of the multiple times of firing to identify movements of the firearm caused by manual actuation of the trigger.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a video camera may be positioned on a set of video display eyewear worn by the shooter. The video camera provides a video signal which is displayed to at least one of the shooter""s eyes in the eyewear as a substitute for a view in the direct line of sight of the shooter. The shooter uses the displayed image from the eyewear to sight the firearm. The firearm is fired and the result of the firing is correlated with the displayed video signal. In other preferred embodiments, the video signal may be recorded and played back for the shooter and/or the instructor. In another embodiment, the video signal from the head-mounted camera is superimposed on either a view of the results of the firing of the firearm or the view from a tripod-mounted camera positioned so as to record the image of the shooter""s hand, arm or body during firing of the firearm.
The present invention also relates to an apparatus for training a shooter of a firearm. The apparatus may include a trigger actuator adapted to be removably attached to the firearm, while permitting the shooter to grip and sight the firearm. A controller is provided for remotely controlling the trigger actuator to fire the firearm after it has been aimed by the shooter thereby eliminating jerk and recoil anticipation effects. The actuator is used to assist the shooter in identifying and controlling these effects. A video camera, advantageously one located on the firearm or head of the shooter, is oriented to receive a view approximately the same as the view of the shooter during aiming and firing of the firearm. A video display is employed to reproduce the view of the shooter during aiming and firing of the firearm, both manually and by remote actuation.
In more preferred embodiments, the trigger actuator is capable of producing a variety of trigger movements and pressures including those adapted for single and double action triggers. The trigger actuator may include a bracket for attachment to the firearm, a motor, a traveling member for engaging the trigger, and a linear screw drive for moving the traveling member against and away from the trigger of the firearm.
In other preferred embodiments, the video camera is pivotably mounted on the eyewear so that the input optical axis of the video camera is selectively positionable with respect to the head of the shooter. This selectively positionable feature permits the optical input axis of the camera to be aligned with a line of sight of either the left or the right eye of the shooter. The vertical elevation of the optical input axis may be varied, and the angle with respect to the plane of the face of the shooter may be varied as well. In this way, the optical axis of the camera may be selectively positioned with respect to the eyewear to permit the shooter to shoot comfortably with either or both eyes open and in various postures.
In another embodiment of the present invention the eyewear is binocular video eyewear with separate flat panel video displays for the left eye and the right eye. In yet a further embodiment, the video camera is selectively focusable to replicate the focus and focus depth normally used by the shooter in aiming the firearm.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for training a shooter of a firearm equipped with red dot optical sight. The apparatus includes a video camera having a view of the visual indicator produced by the red dot optical sight and for producing a video signal approximately the shooter""s view through the sight. In situations where the red dot optical sight has acceptable parallax off-axis, a bracket may be used for attaching the video camera to the optical sight at an off-axis location which does not appreciably obstruct the shooter""s view through the sight.
It is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for effectively training individuals in optical aiming, particularly of firearms.
It is a further object of the present invention to aid a shooter and instructor in making efficient use of training time both oh the firing range and in the classroom.
It is a further object of the present invention to permit a firearm instructor and shooter to share the same line of sight and view from the moment the shooter begins to align the firearm""s sight through the instant of firing and the follow-through.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a remotely controlled trigger actuator, to identify unwanted movement caused by the shooter""s manual actuation of the trigger.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide training apparatus which substitutes a reproducible, displayed image for a direct view of the target used in aiming.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an eyewear-mounted video camera with an optical axis selectively positionable with respect to the eyewear, adapted to permit the shooter to shoot comfortably with either or both eyes open and in various postures.
It is a further object of the present invention to permit the view of the shooter to be displayed or redisplayed and correlated with the result of the firing of the firearm.
It is a further object of the present system to employ a video training apparatus easily used with a firearm equipped with a red dot sight.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an aid to shooters, so that the shooter can learn to reproduce certain geometries associated with the accurate aiming and firing of a firearm.